The present invention generally relates to a system and method for remotely controlling a visual interface, and more particularly to a remote control device for navigating through and interacting with television schedule information on a television screen.
As the number of television stations in a metropolitan area or on a cable network has increased, the number of programs of potential interest that are presented to a viewer has risen dramatically. With the use of dish antennas capable of receiving direct satellite signals, the multitude of programs available to the viewer has further increased. Consequently, television schedule systems that are provided directly on the viewer's television screen have been developed to assist the viewer in sorting through these various programs and determining which programs to watch or record. One such television schedule system is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,121 (Young et al.), the complete disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. In one embodiment of Young, the television schedule includes a series of menu screens having an array of cells corresponding to different television programs. The viewer may scroll through the cells to view which television programs are being presented on various channels at various times. In addition, the viewer may select certain cells to obtain more information on the associated program or to pull up other submenus with additional options.
The recent development of television schedule systems, such as the above described patent to Young, have created many new challenges. One such challenge is providing a system and method that allows the user to navigate through the various menus and submenus of the schedule guide and to interact with the various items contained therein. Ideally, the system and method would provide the viewer with the ability to quickly and efficiently browse through the television guide and/or perform various actions without having to remove his/her eyes from the television. In addition, it would be desirable to provide the viewer with the ability to interact with a wide range of services that are related to the programs in the television schedule.